Heaven and Phoenix
by LoveMusicRain
Summary: Edward is a 24-year-old dominant grudgingly returning to his hometown. Bella is a 17-year old shapeshifter running away from an abusive household. He finds her phased, freezing in the streets, and unknowingly takes in a teenage runaway. He's just going to help her get back up on her feet and never see her again... right? Rated M for citrus-to-come.
1. Preface: The Day We Met (EPOV)

It was raining again. Of course it was. I groaned, cursing myself for forgetting my umbrella in the car. Sighing, I ducked into the rain and rushed through the parking lot. What a day. Not only had I been bugged the entire day about "You know, your father always..." this, and "If only you could tell your father..." that, but the club I had just checked out in Port Angeles was beyond disappointing. I didn't have the time to drive to my previous club in Seattle, now that I lived in Forks again. I groaned. Why had I thought moving back to my hometown was a good idea? Damn that perfect job opening. I should have gotten the hell out of Washington as soon as I graduated.

I got in my car and turned the heat up as much as I could, and started driving towards Forks. I hadn't even reached the interstate when I saw something move on the road in front of me. I quickly hit the brakes and cringed at the squeal of my tires. I squinted into the dark but I couldn't see what it was. Cautiously, I backed up, until finally it was in the view of my headlights.

A tiny, soaked kitten was standing in the middle of the road, shivering. I got out of my car, ignoring the pouring rain and ran over to it. I crouched down and put my hand out, palm up, and it hesitantly put one paw, and then the other into my hand. I gently scooped the poor thing up and held it to my chest as I got back into the car. I found a fleece jacket in the backseat and wrapped the kitten as much as it would let me. As it was, it kept peeking out it's head and neck to look around the car.

I was worried. How long had it been in the cold? It could have hypothermia already. I drove a little faster than I usually did in my rush to get home.

It passed out before I could get there. After the longest six-minute drive ever, I parked quickly and picked the kitten up. I ran into the house and to the kitchen. I turned the faucet on and filled the sink with hot water. I tested the water before getting a cup and filling it in the sink. I held her over the sink and poured hot water on her.

"C'mon, wake up! I am not going to deal with a dead kitten," I said irrationally. I kept pouring water over her tiny body until she started stirring. Finally, to my relief, she woke up.

She panicked, and I winced a little as her claws grazed my hand. "Calm down. It's just a little water," I muttered, and for some reason it seemed like she understood me. She visibly relaxed and let me continue pouring water over her still freezing body.

When she seemed warm enough I wrapped her in a towel and dried her off, and then brought her to bed with me. She played with a pair of my socks while I changed out of my clothes. I got a small blanket out of the closet and wrapped her in it before I fell asleep.

The next morning the kitten wasn't anywhere in my room. Where the hell did she go? My door was shut... maybe she had crawled underneath it. Great. Day 1 with a pet and I'd already lost the thing. It was probably going to piss all over my house, too. I groaned and ran a hand through my hair. I needed to buy some cat food this afternoon. I walked to the fridge and pulled out a package of raw fish. This would have to suffice for now. But only this once. The last thing I needed was to be the doctor that brought in his own cat for a Thiamine deficiency.

I ran a hand through my hair and got out the cutting board. I started cutting it into tiny chunks when I heard someone clear their throat behind me. I spun around and gasped. Wearing my button up shirt and a pair of my boxers was a pale, scrawny girl with with dark eyes and long brown hair. "You... um... you don't have to do that. You've done more than enough," she said, shyly.

"Are you...?" I started. Was there a polite way to ask a stranger in your house if they were previously a cat?

"Uh, yeah. I am. Was. A cat," she said sheepishly and then seemed to realize something. "Oh! Um, I'm Bella!" She awkwardly stuck out her long skinny arm to shake my hand. I put down the knife and wiped my hand on my sweatpants before I took it. Her hand felt fragile.

"Edward. Do you wanna tell me how old you are?"

"Er... seventeen," she said.

"Oh, God. I'm sorry. Do you want a ride home or something?" I asked. "And maybe some better clothes?" I offered partly because she would be freezing in this weather and partly because it was a little distracting seeing her in my underwear. I shook off that thought. She's just a kid, you pervert!

"No, thank you, I don't need a ride. And I'll just phase again when you want me to leave."

"Do you have anywhere to go?" I asked.

"Well... not exactly." I raised an eyebrow. "Okay, I don't. But I'm kind of getting the hang of the whole nomad thing."

"Nomad? Jeez, ah, you can stay here until you, uh, figure something out," I offered, rubbing the back of my neck. "Or, if you're uncomfortable," as she should be! "I can help you find a cheap place. And a job. Where are your parents?"

"Heaven and Phoenix," she said. That was when I realized. "You're the chief's girl, aren't you?"

"He's not the chief anymore," she said evasively.

"Why aren't you in Arizona?" I asked.

"Because I'm tired of being raped!" she said irritably and then covered her mouth. Her big brown eyes widened in horror. "I'm so sorry. I've overstayed my welcome," she said.

"No, you haven't," I said. You sure have a way with the ladies, don't you, Cullen? You know all kinds of icebreakers, like bringing up dead parents and other traumatizing experiences. Blunt disagreement works, too.

"I shouldn't have snapped at you like that."

"I shouldn't have asked so many questions. So we're even," I said. Surely she couldn't argue with that.

"I shouldn't have taken your clothes. Or let you open that perfectly good fish for me." We were competing now. Oh, I was going to win.

"I shouldn't find you hot," I challenged, then froze. What the hell did I just say? For God's sake, she just told me she was a seventeen-year-old rape victim. What the fuck is wrong with me?

She looked at my mortified face and laughed. "If you're trying to upset me, you're going to have to try harder."

"I'm so very sorry. That was completely out of line." She made a pretend stern face for a second.

"You're right. For that, I get to ask you a question. You'd better answer it, too." She was terrible at keeping a straight face.

"What?"

"How old are you?" she asked, laughing still.

"Twenty-four," I said, cringing still.

"Alright, we're even. Shall we start over? I'm Bella. I happen to turn into a cat sometimes. My dad is dead and I'm in Forks because my stepdad is an asshole."

"I'm Edward Cullen. My parents are dead and I'm a surgeon. I'm in Forks because I'm a nostalgic idiot." She laughed again.

"Guess we have that in common."

That was how I met Bella Swan.


	2. Preface: The Day We Met (BPOV)

There were lights everywhere. They spun around me, and I felt my back hit the concrete. The lights blinked and flashed all around me. It got loud and quiet, loud and quiet, and I realized I was probably going to die. I heard loud screeching and relaxed. _Let it be quick, now._ I was moving upward. Heaven? No, it was still cold. I forced my eyes open and I was so high up. I was being carried… by someone tall… it was hard to think around the cold. I found myself wrapped in fabric, obstructing my vision and I found a way to peek out, but my vision was darkening.

I was in a car, with leather seats and a fancy-stereo that was hard to see in the dark, even though it seemed to be lit up. Everything was spinning. Was I going to throw up? No, I hadn't eaten recently enough for that. I was going to pass out, or die. Whichever came first.

I sputtered, clawing frantically as I woke. Strong hands, bigger than me, holding me under the water. _It's Phil!_ I thought in despair. _He found me again!_ I heard a wince as my claws found skin and waited for him to hit me. "Calm down," said a slightly irritated, but still compassionate voice, "it's just a little water."

I relaxed into the stranger's hands, even as he poured water over me, as all my memories came flooding back. I wasn't in the shower. Phil wasn't here. I was… actually, where was I? I was near Port Angeles when it started raining. A tall stranger had taken me home.

I opened my eyes to take in my surroundings then. It was a medium-sized, modern kitchen. It took me a minute to recognize it as the doctor's house. I had seen in briefly at the Cullen funeral about six years earlier. I got a better view of the man pouring the warm water on me today. He had copper-colored hair that looked both disheveled and business-like at the same time. He was really pale. _Obviously, he lives in Forks, you dummy!_ my mental voice interrupted.

He set the cup he was using to pour water on me to the side of the sink, and lifted me out. Immediately I was wrapped in a soft towel that I nearly melted into. He was pretty rich if he had towels this soft, and if he lived in the Cullen house, for that matter.

He carried me against his chest down a hallway and into a bedroom. He set me down on the floor, and I scurried around, laughing in my head at the laundry scattered all over his room. He took off his shirt and threw it on the floor, and I realized he was changing. _Wow, he's fit!_ I politely diverted my attention. I found a pair of socks and pounced on it. That was acceptable cat-behavior, wasn't it? _Don't look, don't look, don't look…_ Finally he closed the door and shut off the light, crawling into bed.

I curled up in a pile of his clothes- didn't he have a girlfriend to nag him about this kind of stuff?- and fell asleep.

I woke up before he did. I made sure he was still asleep before I focused on the human part of me and felt myself painfully rearranging. I felt around the clothes he had put on the floor, and tried not to make a sound as I found something that felt like shorts and put it on. I found a dress shirt and slipped it over my shoulders. The clothes were huge on me.

I snuck out quietly and wondered what this stranger had planned for me. He was kind, but he could very well have rescued me to take me to the pound. I would need to leave soon, if that was the case. I looked wistfully around me. I hadn't stayed for more than a night in each house in over a year. In fact, usually I slept in garages, thoughtlessly left open by human residents.

Then I heard him leaving his room. _I still haven't made up my mind!_ I looked around once more. _I can always run later…_ I decided. I ducked behind a wall separating the entryway from the kitchen. He rubbed his eyes, looking slightly grumpy, in a cute way.

He stood for a minute before he opened the fridge. He pulled a package out and tossed it lightly onto the granite countertop. I sniffed. Fish. My stomach growled. I looked down, willing it to become silent, and saw that the "shorts" I had put on, were actually a pair of boxers. I blushed, and my stomach growled again. I peeked around the wall again, but he hadn't heard it. He got out a cutting board and started cutting the fish into tiny chunks that I could eat easily when phased.

 _It's for me!_ I realized, embarrassed. I came around the corner and awkwardly cleared my throat to get his attention. "You… um… don't have to do that. You've done more than enough," I said. _And I've already taken a few liberties…_ I glanced down at the clothes I'd borrowed and looked up before he noticed.

He looked beyond noticing anything like that. There was no emotion on his face except surprise. "Are you…?" he asked in disbelief, unable to finish his question. I decided bluntness was the best route at this point.

"Uh, yeah. I am. Was. A cat," I said. _God, I haven't talked in forever… introduce yourself, you idiot!_ "Oh! Um- I'm Bella!" I put my hand out. _Do people even shake hands in real life?_ My mental voice was very active today. He put down the chef's knife and brushed his hand on his pants before taking it. He had a strong handshake.

"Edward. Do you wanna tell me how old you are?" His voice was blank. _I hope he's not mad at me…_

"Er… seventeen," I said, unsure. I didn't want to lie to him, though he might get upset about the truth. He didn't look angry, just surprised and really uncomfortable.

"Oh, God, I'm sorry. Do you want a ride home or something?" he paused, looking over me furtively, and added, "And maybe some better clothes?"

"No, thank you, I don't need a ride. And I'll just phase again when you want me to leave." _Which will probably be immediately._

"Do you have anywhere to go?" he asked, concern overpowering discomfort now.

"Well… not exactly." He raised his eyebrow, not taking my bullshit answer. "Okay, I don't, but I'm really getting the hang of this whole nomad thing." _Great. Now he's gonna call an orphanage, you moron._

"Nomad? Jeez, ah, you can stay here until you, uh, figure something out. Or, if you're uncomfortable, I can help you find a cheap place. And a job. Where are your parents?" _Ah, the golden question._

"Heaven and Phoenix," I said simply. Understanding lit his eyes.

"You're the chief's girl, aren't you?" he asked.

"He's not the chief anymore," I said. I didn't want to talk about this. _You're in_ _ **his**_ _house, so suck it up!_  
"Why aren't you in Arizona?"

"Because I'm tired of being raped!" I snapped, irritation breaking through for just a moment before I realized what I had just said. I swallowed. "I'm sorry," I said quietly. "I've overstayed my welcome."

"No, you haven't," he said petulantly.

"I shouldn't have snapped at you like that."

"I shouldn't have asked you so many questions. So we're even." I heard a bit of challenge in his voice.

"I shouldn't have taken your clothes. Or let you open that perfectly good fish for me," I said. I was an intruder on his household. He ought to have just run me over with his schnazzy car.

"I shouldn't find you hot," he said, sure he had won, and then became very still as he realized what he had said. I laughed as he visibly cringed.

"If you're trying to upset me, you're going to have to try harder." If I was being honest, I was elated that a wealthy, good-looking man found mousy, scrawny, used-up me attractive.

"I'm so very sorry. That was completely out of line." His voice was thick with remorse. I raised an eyebrow, straightening my face with effort.

"You're right. For that, I get to ask you a question. You'd better answer it, too." I tried to sound threatening, but I don't think it worked.

"What?"

"How old are _you_?" I laughed now, unable to hold it in any longer.

"Twenty-four," he said, still looking appalled with himself.

"Alright, we're even," I said, blasé. "Shall we start over? My name is Bella Swan. I happen to turn into a cat sometimes. My dad is dead and I'm in Forks because my stepdad is an asshole." Where was I getting this bravery? He seemed to finally recover from his irrational embarrassment.

"I'm Edward Cullen. My parents are dead and I'm a surgeon. I'm in Forks because I'm a nostalgic idiot." I laughed. So he _was_ the doctor's son.

"Guess we have that in common."

That was how I met Edward Cullen.


	3. Chapter 1

EPOV: "What's that room?" she asked again, innocently curious.

"It's a personal room that you're not invited into," I answered, hoping she would leave the subject alone. She pursed her lips. _Crap. Curiosity kills the cat... oh, just tell her!_

"It's my playroom."

"Your _what?_ " she asked, confused.

"Look it up if you want," I said, rolling my eyes. I was going to be late for work. "And help yourself to anything in the house… except that." I added, noticing her furtive glance to the locked door. She'd probably disappear after a few Google searches. "The spare house key is in the drawer next to the sink, in case you need to-" _run away_ "-go anywhere."

"Hey, Edward?" her voice was quieter now.

"What?" I asked, surprised by her change in tone.

"Um… thanks," she said, looking away.

"No problem." I left then, before she could have another mood swing. The minute I was safely outside I shook my head. Jeez. What have I gotten myself into?

BPOV: _Look it up? Do I look like I own a computer?_ my mental voice thought snidely. I walked back into the kitchen. _Oh_ , I realized sheepishly. There was a computer on the counter. I wiggled the mouse a little bit and the screen came on. It was unlocked. I clicked on Chrome and typed in the word "playroom". Too impatient to read about it, I clicked on images. _Holy crap._

The screen was suddenly covered with pictures of rooms with shackles, chains, and scary-looking contraptions on the walls. They ranged from modern looking and abstract to completely medieval. _This is what he gets off on? Jesus..._ I wanted to run. To steal a little food, and never come back again. It was nothing I hadn't done before, but I felt guilty as I thought about doing that. Because, I realized, I also wanted to stay here. I wanted to let him do too much on my behalf. I wanted to stay here with this man that was so kind to a stranger... _kind_? I looked at the whips on the screen and blanched. _If you run away you will always regret it._

"Fuck you," I murmured to my mental voice. _**He**_ _might!_ she responded enthusiastically. "You say that like it's a good thing," I said, disgusted. I cringed at the thought of something inside me, ripping me, intruding. I shook my head. I would stay. He hadn't done anything that scared me yet. What he did with his... submissives was none of my business. I had done my snooping, and I had made my decision. _I'm going to stay._

EPOV: When I got home, Bella was sitting on the floor in my living room surrounded by books. I laughed a little when she didn't even look up as my front door slammed shut. "You awake there?" I teased and she jumped, looking up in surprise.

"I'll put them back where I found them." She sounded guilty. I laughed.

"Read away, kitten. I'm glad they've got someone to read them now, with me always at the hospital or... er..." I had spoken without thinking.

"Ordering women around in your sexy voice." Bella said lightly, laughing. She knows. I laughed a little at her response, though.

"Yeah. That." Bella gave me an understanding smile and turned the page in front of her.


End file.
